30 Sep 2009
10:00 BST
London, Knightsbridge
The Michael Bennett-Levy Early Technology Sale
Back to auction 17616
The Michael Bennett-Levy Early Technology Sale
Back to auction 17616
A Baird Televisor window display model,
circa 1930, on the Plessey design,
with a textured monochrome portrait of John Logie Baird on a 3.1/2in. lantern slide in viewing aperture, lit from behind with bulb and line-drum "lamp shade" suspended from heat-wheel, in painted Plessey-style aluminium case with rounded corners, twin case extensions at the back, on wood base with bracket feet, twin red line decoration 28in. (71.5cm) wide
with a textured monochrome portrait of John Logie Baird on a 3.1/2in. lantern slide in viewing aperture, lit from behind with bulb and line-drum "lamp shade" suspended from heat-wheel, in painted Plessey-style aluminium case with rounded corners, twin case extensions at the back, on wood base with bracket feet, twin red line decoration 28in. (71.5cm) wide
Sold for
£5,040
inc. premium
Footnotes
- Literature:
Mechanical Music and Technical Apparatus Christie's, 18 October 2005, lot 27.
The display model differs from the actual Plessey Televisor in several ways including; the top corners being more rounded, the line decoration being executed with greater care and the wooden baseboard being visible at the edges.
M.B-L comments: These window displays were obviously made in very small numbers. This example has the number 10 chalked on the inside which may or may not be original. There is a rubber tube which one blows gently into to start the 'lamp shade' rotating. The heat generated from the light bulb then makes the rotation continuous. As a demonstration piece it is highly convincing especially as a double thick black line crosses the screen once for every rotation of the shade. The only other example I have seen was one at Christies which sadly was incomplete missing its shade."
Category: Collectibles / Scientific Instruments
Auction terms and conditions